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About The Conservative (Nebraska City, Neb.) 1898-1902 | View Entire Issue (May 17, 1900)
12 Che Conservative. THE FALLACY OF A DEMOCKACY. Ill his "Universal History , " Tytler Fays in his review of the so-called Greek Republics : "Whore , it may be asked , was that democracy ever found on earth where men loved equality ; where they were satisfied with the degree of con sideration they could procure by their own abilities fairly measured with those of an opponent a circumstance in itself utterly destructive of equality labored for the public without hope of profit , ( recommended to the consideration of BryanAltgeld & Co. ) and rejected every attempt to create a personal dependence ? Did such a government ever exist , or , while society consists of human beings , is it possible that such should ever exist ? While man is being instigated by the love of power a passion visible in an infant , and common to us even with the inferior animals he will seek personal superiority in preference to every mat ter of general concern ; or , at best , he will employ himself in advancing the public good , as the means of individual distinction and elevation ; he will pro mote the interests of the state from the selfish but most useful passion of making himself considerable in that establish ment which he labors to aggrandize. " The Gratitude of a Democracy. ( While the latter part of the above quotation expresses all the state or society should ever expect of individual , the only ethical relations , nevertheless Tytler goes on and speaks in praise of that insane condition : "Sacrifice for the public good" , as if it were a virtue , whereas it is nothing more than the most intense self-gratification , in which society gets all the good and the actor all the bad , except the gratification of his emotional insanity. ) Tytler continues : "Such is the true picture of man as a political agent. ( He should have said'normal ' " picture. ) "But let it not be understood that what is here affirmed with regard to the community at large is strictly true of every mem ber who composes it. If we look in vain lor disinterested patriotism m the aggregate of a people , it would be a rash and unjust conclusion to assert that no such virtue exists in the breasts of in dividuals. " ( Which is just what the writer does assert. The man who gratifies his strongest passion , even if in serving the public , cannot be said to do it disinterestedly. He gets the very re ward he most desires in gratifying his nature. The trouble with such writers is that they do not understand human nature. ) The same evidence of history which proves the truth of the one asser tion , would suffice to disprove the other. The annals of the Greek and Roman states record examples of the most ex alted patriotic virtue in a few distin guished characters , whose names come down with honor to modern times. " ( They had little or none in their own and are destined to survive to the latesl posterity. But these examples afford in themselves a proof which confirms the general proposition : that the public does not consider the self-indalgont laborer worthy of his hire. In one respect the public is right. It denies the morality of free service. ) "The admiration which those virtuous individuals excited while they lived" ( generally expressed in in sult , neglect and banishment ) "the last ing honors that attend their memory" ( post-mortem dividends ) "demonstrate the irregularity and rareness of that character , the difficulty of its attain ment" ( it cannot be attained. It is born in them ) "and thence the distinguished honors which it claims , as approaching , as near as possible to the ideal perfection of human nature. " ( After all , the ver dict of the contemporary public that such 'ideals' now are 'insane' is more nearly correct than people of a later date think. The most comprehensive yet exact definition of insanity is the indi vidual neglect of the fundamental neces sity of self-preservation. Imbecility is the total inability of self-preservation. Some of those "ideal" characters are so intensely one-sided in their altruism as to be practically imbeciles. The same is true of the public which ignores and denies the value of their service and fails to materially reward them in life. ) Democracy anil Patriotism. On this subject Tytler says : "A democratic government opposes more impediments to disinterested patriotism than any other form. To surmount these , a pitch of virtue" ( more intense insanity ) "is necessary which , in other situations , where the obstacles are less great and numerous , is not called into exertion. " ( Which is simply saying that in monarchies , where the personal service is more individual than in a re public where it is general , such virtue is more liable to be appreciated and re warded , which is the fact , ) "The nature of a republic gives to every mem ber of the state an equal right to cherish views of ambition , and to aspire to the highest offices of the commonwealth. " ( Thereby increasing the struggle for them and constantly tending to the suc cess of mediocrity or subservitiveness and corruption , hence opposed to the service of men of the highest type of in telligence and manly independence. ) "It gives to every individual the same title with his fellows to aspire to govern ment of the whole. " ( An ideal state ment at once contradicted by the var iations in individual inability an I by the fact that subserviency is most often the winning car das illustrated in McKiuley. ) Democracy Favors DcmugogiBin and Cor ruption. "The number of candidates excites rivalships , contentions , factions. The glorious names of liberty and patriotism are always found effectual to rouse and inflame the multitude ; indeed to blind the multitude to the real character and views of the demagogue , but ever suf ficient to be a mask to their own love of tumult and hatred of their superiors" ( Bryanarchy. ) "In such a state of so ciety ( populistic socialism ) "how rare is genuine virtue ; how singular the character of a truly disinterested pat riot. He appears and he is treated as an impostor. He attempts to serve his country in its councils ; or in offices. He is calumniated , reviled , persecuted ; he dies in disgrace or banishment , and the same envy which maligned him living , embalms him when dead , and showers encomiums on his memory to depress and mortify the few surviving imitators of his virtues. " ( If such virtue is not suicidal insanity what is ? ) "The history of the Grecian states , that a democracy has produced some splendid ( should be 'sad' ) models of genuine pat riotism in the persons of Aristides , Milti- ades and Oimon. We have seen the reward that attended that character under that form of government , of which we are taught to believe that virtue is the chief principle. We have seen such men treated as imposters , calumniated , reviled , persecuted , dis- H.W.Jfc HNS' ROOFINGS PURE ASBESTOS NO COAL TAR WATER & ACID PROOF REQUIRE NO COATING ONE QUALITY MANY STYLES LOW PRICESl APPLICATION SI RLE & INEXPENSIVE ( ASBESTOS ROOFINGS A FULLY GUARANTEED H.W. JOHN S M'F'G GO. NEW YORK-CHICAGO PH IlLADELPHlA BOSTON MAKE RS OF ASBESTOS MATERIALS , LIQUID PAINTS & STAINS IPIPE & BOILER COVERINGS ELECTRICAL MATERIALS
